1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a prefabricated building assembly for low-cost construction of walls, roofs, and floors that includes the use of a plurality of prefabricated building panels having a foam plastic core approximately 4 ft. wide and 24 ft. long and 4 to 8 in. thick, with the end faces and side faces of the building panel having prefabricated semicircular channels that engage preformed foam connectors for joining the panels together to form walls, roofs, and floors. Each panel also includes a poly-concrete coating on its outsides to provide a finish, structural strength, prevent buckling, and for weather protection. Each panel also includes a plurality of circular passages or voids that extend all the way through the thickness of the panel across the width of each panel from side to side, each of the passages being parallel and spaced between 2 to 4 ft. apart, which receive poured concrete when the panels are used to form an internal steel reinforced concrete belt in a suspended frame. Each construction panel also includes internal passages, vertically and horizontally, for utility wires.
2. Description of the Background Art
The use of foamed plastic building materials for construction of building walls, roofs, and other structures is known in the art. Attempts have also been made to reduce construction costs by implementing the overall building construction with foamed plastic materials. Building construction using combinations of polyconcrete as the basic building material is also known.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,038,798, issued Aug. 2, 1977 to Sachs, describes a composite permanent block-form for reinforced concrete construction and the method of making the same. Because of the laminate construction of Sachs, Sachs does not offer and insure sufficient structural integrity. Sachs also does not provide for a coated foam structure that uses polyconcrete.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,249,354, issued Feb. 10, 1981 to Wynn, shows a reinforced, insulated wall construction with tube liners for concrete that uses high-compressive and side-loading strengths achieved by central supporting reinforcing members in vertical passageways. Although Wynn does disclose a foamed core, the construction of the block is quite different than that described by the Applicant in Applicant's invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,532,745, issued Aug. 6, 1985 to Kinard, describes a channel and foam block wall construction. Concrete is poured into U-shaped channels that are formed in foam plastic blocks. The construction and operability of the blocks shown in Kinard are quite different than that described by the Applicant. Applicant's invention includes a foam core with a thin coating for structural rigidity using a polyconcrete. Voids are also preformed in Applicant's invention which are used to receive utility wires and pipes.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,774,794, issued Oct. 4, 1988 to Grieb, shows an energy efficient building system that provides a foam cement building. The Grieb building blocks include foam covered by cement which include reinforced fiberglass mesh and strands. The Grieb building block is basically a laminate and is quite different than Applicant's construction block.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,924,641, issued May 15, 1990 to Gibbar, Jr., shows a polymer building wall form for construction. The Gibbar construction includes the use of foam urethane having a series of spacers formed therein to provide for a concrete wall to be poured therein.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,488,806, issued Feb. 6, 1996 to Melnick, et al., describes block forms for receiving concrete. The construction basically uses plastic foam blocks that retain liquid concrete.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,194,919, issued Mar. 25, 1980 to Hattori, et al., describes a method for increasing flexural strength of cement compositions. The flexural strength of hydraulic cement compositions are increased by water soluble epoxy resins. There is no description in Hattori to provide a plastic foam core that is coated with the epoxy cement mixture.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,162,060, issued Nov. 10, 1992 to Bredow, et al., provides a polymer modified cement with improved chemical resistance.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,252,636, issued Oct. 12, 1993 to Ellenberger, et al., provides for a dry mixture for epoxy cement concrete. There is no description or discussion in Ellenberger to provide a foam core with a coating of epoxy resin and a cement mixture as described in Applicant's invention herein.
None of the references cited herein disclose Applicant's building block having a foam core with an integral coating of polyconcrete, nor provide a low-cost lightweight construction block that includes preformed voids for the form for steel reinforced concrete with a low-cost permanent coating that prevents lateral buckling and may include voids for utilities.